Making brownies to pass the time..

Here are a few tasty treats I've had in the last few days...

(I didn't know how to take a more flattering picture of this)

This is Cheeseboard's feta cheese and walnut bun with a fig glaze.
After the taiko performance in Oakland, the group decided to hit up a few pastry shops in Oakland's Chinatown. I found this baby waiting to be bought! It was nearly the size of my face.. feeding frenzy! [There's Ryan, looking devilishly handsome.. haha]
For 20 cents, I know I'll be getting more of these (as greasy as it was).
I will be a lifelong sucker for red beans. The one on the left is a dense coconut jelly with red beans, while the one on the right is a deep fried sesame ball with red bean filling. [~$1]
_____ [memory = bad] salad from FSM. Again, not so flattering of a picture. It had way more meat than I had expected and even though they put dressing on it, it wasn't overpowering.
I didn't eat these people, but they sure look edible.

Monday Blues

or pinks, reds, and yellows. For a Monday picker-upper, check out the sexy lighting on this muffin:

I didn't realize my lens was foggy.
Bran muffin and a small chai latte from Cafe Milano.. sexy, indeed.

I think it's time

to buy holiday kitsch.

A nice week

it was. With the exception of my sickly body, it consisted of interesting happenings and yummy foods. My weeks are generally planned around whatever is in my Almighty Organizer. I've switched brands from year to year, but I think I've finally settled on the Moleskine 18-month weekly notebook. [A great holiday gift for any meticulous and/or neurotic friend ;)]This poor thing has had to deal with bottled water, rain water, fish sauce, and gunfire.. okay, not gunfire. This week had appreciably more stuff written for it- mostly just motivational "Get Better!" notes.

For breakfast this morning, Mike, Tina, and I decided to go to Filippo's on College/Ashby to pay the best waiter in the world (hah!) a visit.

teehee
"It looked like a grizzly bear was giving me a light show."
He also makes a good cup o' coffee and warm chocolate.
I forgot to take a photo of this before digging in! It's Filippo's French toast, which they reserve for their weekend brunch.
Sweetened ricotta + strawberries + perfectly textured french toast = tummy love.
Tina thought it was so good, she ate the napkin, too.

Midlake! ahhh

For my feeling-under-the-weather lunch on Tuesday, I decided to have San Francisco Soup Company's Smokey Split Pea with a side salad. Pretty, no? The split pea soup wasn't very smokey, and I still can't grasp why most split pea soups are so thick.. They should be called "pastes", "purees", or maybe "glues". But they just won't sound as yummy...

The cilantro was the best part of this little lunch! The garden salad came with a balsamic dressing, but I hardly use dressing because I like eating salads (and many other things) with my hands. [A habit I refuse to shake!]
Here's a picture of my office space! Okay, my table's a bit messy, but I like how I can decorate the walls with more fun, but still work- related, things. I share the room with CSHC's Policy Director, who generally deals with my food crumbs and funny sounds for a good portion of her workweek.
If you draw your attention to the cork board, what on earth is that yellow blob in the upper right corner?
None other than an enthusiastic pikachu! It's work-related, I swear.

"Because WE ARE your friends

YOU'LL never be alone again." ::blush:: Such fun times..

Today, I tried Peet's Pumpkin Spice Latte. Their version definitely isn't as sweet as Starbucks's. Theirs has more of a bold spiced flavor, whereas Starbucks's has a reliable sweetness that you can't go wrong with. While I was sipping the latte and walking to the BART station, I got some whipped milk on my upper lip. I then noticed that I wasn't alone..

Foam beard! No? Just me?
I laughed so much in the station- the women sitting by me must have been so perplexed.
Handy mug fashioning the latte.

It's a posty kind of day

Another one from Jose Garcia Villa. I let out a "Wow.." after reading it.
--

When, I, was, no, bigger, than, a, huge,
Star, in, my, self, I, began, to, write,
My,
Theology,
Of, rose, and,

Tiger: till, I, burned, with, their,
Pure, and, Rage. Then, was, I, Wrath-
Ful,
And, most,
Gentle: most,

Dark, and, yet, most, Lit: in, me, an,
Eye, there, grew: springing, Vision,
Its,
Gold, and,
Its, wars. Then,

I, knew, the, Lord, was, not, my, Creator!
- Not, He, the, Unbegotten - but, I, saw,
The,
Creator,
Was, I - and,

I, began, to, Die, and, I, began, to, Grow.

We won't stop just yet

Damn you, Prop 8. If you were a part of the opposition, you'll probably be interested in signing this.

And courtesy of patrickmoberg.com through my home slice, Paul.
Of all the things I've read and seen, this one brought me to tears. Light-hearted reality with a smattering of jest is sometimes the best way to pull at the heartstrings [See: my reaction to The Royal Tenenbaums].

The Long Haul

Still sick. Gots a paper. Nevertheless, the weather is shaping up to be sunny with a cheery breeze. For an Angeleno (or as some like to say "Los Angelesian"..?), 60 degrees isn't the easiest temperature to get through. But the holidays are approaching, and I'll get through anything!

Spot the kat! And check out this awesome bodhi tree!

(Pleeease, correct me if I'm wrong!)

Excruciatingly warm weather in this shot.... not your average holiday climate. This is from Siem Reap, Cambodia. Temple name once I remember. o.o

Improvise!

Hershey's carries its famous milk chocolate bar with almonds, which I thoroughly enjoy (although, sometimes I feel like they skimp on the almonds). But, I only have their original milk chocolate bar. So how do I improvise? Well, a little mouth-mixing of pieces of the milk chocolate and Whole Foods almonds makes a winning attempt. [Kinda like peppermint schnapps and chocolate syrup... only... not as inebriating... with some chewing involved]Look at this fancy Vietnamese sammich! It's from Highlands Coffee in Hanoi, Vietnam's premier coffee chain (coffee chain + Vietnam = major ?) This one was about $2.50 with fries.

These two guys were from a street vendor in Nha Trang. The price? A whopping 60 cents for two!

Yummm
[International Travel Care, my Lonely Planet, and my waist pouch- travel essentials at that point]

Now, don't ask me which one was better..

Okay, go ahead and ask.

I would have to say the Nha Trang banh mi were better. They were more accessible and filled with all sorts of yummies that the Highlands version didn't have. Plus, Highlands caters to tourists; ergo, their sammiches don't have all the more questionable - yet tasty - ingredients that other vendors have.

I hungie!